2009 MHSAA Team State Preview - Division 4
The road to Battle Creek will begin this Wednesday when the MHSAA Team Districts get underway all across the state and under three weeks from now the Division 1, 2, 3, and 4. Read below to see our in depth preview of every team regional in Division 4, as well as the notable district matchups to watch. In addition, we have taken a stab at predicting the 8 teams we think will qualify for the Team State Finals and stamp a ticket to Battle Creek.
Division 4 Outlook:
D4 is the same as last year - everyone chasing Hesperia. This year Hudson appears to be the only team capable of knocking off Hesperia. There are a couple tough District matchups, including #3 Manchester vs #6 Clinton, and #2 Hudson will have to get through #5 Addison to win their regional. Other than that there are not many big time matchups that will happen before Battle Creek.
Notable District Matchups:
--- Montrose vs New Lothrop @ Byron District---
Longtime D3 power Montrose is in their first year competing in Division 4 and they have a good shot at making to Battle Creek in their rookie campaign. The biggest obstactle standing in Montrose's way is likely their district matchup with traditional D4 power New Lothrop. NL has been inconsistent this year, however, they have some studs and if they can fill in the gaps they could be a tough team to beat. This dual should be very close between two teams who should know each other pretty well. To the winner should be a spot in the Top 8 in the state as their regional doesn't look very daunting.
--- Clinton vs Manchester @ Blissfield District---
This is a rematch of last year where Manchester upended a very tough Clinton team. This year should be a similiar case as both teams are strong and capable of competing for a state title. Manchester has come on strong late with a win over Addison and a good showing at the Leslie Invitational. Very similiar to the Montrose/NL dual - who ever wins this district should skate on through to the state finals.
Regional Breakdown
Here is a breakdown of what teams will be battling out at each regional for a shot at advancing to the D4 Team State Finals in Battle Creek.
125-4 at Munising
Top contenders: #8 Iron Mountain, Rogers City
Outlook: Iron Mountain has yet to lose this year and they will look to continue that trend while advancing to the state quarterfinals. They have proven their nothern dominance, beating most of the best teams that the UP/Northern Michigan has to offer, however, it will be interesting to see how Iron Mountain does if they get through this regional and advance to Battle Creek. Rogers City is usually strong and is one of the top challengers that stand out here, however, Iron Mountain outscored them by over 60 points at the Marquette Challenge - so it is hard to see much of a challenge there.
Our Pick: Iron Mountain
126-4 at Clare
Top Contenders: #1 Hesperia, Pine River
Outlook: Over the past couple years Hesperia has moved into a league of their own in Division 4. This year many people think Hudson might give them a challenge, however, nobody in this regional should give them much of a run.
Our Pick: Hesperia
127-4 at Montrose
Top Contenders: #7 Montrose, New Lothrop
Outlook: See the district preview above. Whoever wins the Montrose/New Lothrop district matchup should cruise.
Our Pick: Montrose
128-4 at Ithaca
Top Contenders: #4 Dansville, Ithaca, Springport
Outlook: This is a pretty tough regional, headlined by #4 Dansville, who has been rolling all season long. Dansville already beat Springport pretty soundly this year. Ithaca has a lot of talent and will look to close the gap with Dansville and knock the Aggies off, but it is not likely.
Our Pick: Dansville
129-4 at Bangor
Top Contenders: Kent City, ??
Outlook: With no ranked teams in this regional and no usual powerhouses, this one should be up for grabs. Kent City is a pretty strong team with a few very talented individuals. They have to be the favorites.
Our Pick: Kent City
130-4 at Schoolcraft
Top Contenders: #9 Bronson, Constantine
Outlook: Bronson has been gaining momentum all season long and they appear to be ready for a finals run. They shouldn't have too much trouble here with Constantine or anyone else in this regional, and look out for Bronson in Battle Creek, they may surprise some people.
Our Pick: Bronson
131-4 at Hudson
Top contenders: #2 Hudson, #5 Addison
Outlook: This is probably the highlight regional matchup in Division 4. Hudson has been haunted by Addison over the past decade as it always seems like tough Addison/Hudson matchups go down every year at Regionals, usually keeping Hudson out of Kellogg. This year Hudson has a talent-packed, deep squad that should be able to turn the tide with Addison and send them home early.
Our Pick: Hudson
132-4 at Blissfield
Top Contenders: #3 Manchester, #6 Clinton
Outlook: See the district preview above, the winner of Manchester/Clinton should roll through the regional.
Our Pick: Manchester
State Finals Outlook:
The Top 8 in D4 should be: #1 Hesperia, #2 Hudson, #3 Manchester, #4 Dansville, #7 Montrose, #8 Iron Mountain, #9 Bronson, and Kent City.
The seeding should be easy with the top 4 all advancing to Battle Creek. The argument for #3/#4 doesn't have a whole lot of relevance and both Hesperia and Hudson make for equally daunting tasks to wrestle in the semifinals.
It is hard to see anyone challenge Hudson or Hesperia - but you never know what will happen in March. The anticipated Hesperia vs Hudson match should make for a great state finals match. Check back for more on the state finals breakdown after the regionals conclude.
District/Regional Pairings
Districts - Feb 18, 2009
Regionals - Feb 25, 2009
No. 197-4 Iron Mountain
Gwinn
#8 Iron Mountain
Iron River West Iron County
Norway
No. 198-4 Rudyard
* Manistique (Cooks-Big Bay de Noc )
* Munising (Eben Junction-Superior Central )
Newberry
Rudyard
No. 199-4 Rogers City
Boyne City
Onaway Area
Rogers City
St Ignace-La Salle
No. 200-4 Kalkaska
Charlevoix
Kalkaska
Mancelona
Traverse City-St Francis
No. 201-4 Leroy-Pine River Area
Fife Lake-Forest Area
Frankfort
Leroy-Pine River Area
Manton
No. 202-4 Whittemore-Prescott
Clare
Mio-Au Sable
Whittemore-Prescott
No. 203-4 Blanchard-Montabella
Blanchard-Montabella
Farwell Area
St Louis
No. 204-4 Holton
Hart
#1 Hesperia Community
Holton
Montague
No. 205-4 Carrollton
Carrollton
Saginaw-Michigan Lutheran Seminary
Saginaw-Nouvel Catholic Central
Saginaw-Valley Lutheran
No. 206-4 Cass City
Bad Axe
Cass City
Elkton-Pigeon- Bay Port Laker
Sandusky
No. 207-4 Burton-Bentley
Brown City
Burton-Bentley
Marlette
Mayville
No. 208-4 Byron Area
Burton-Bendle
Byron Area
#7 Montrose
New Lothrop
No. 209-4 Merrill
Breckenridge
Merrill
St Charles
No. 210-4 Middleton-Fulton
Carson City-Crystal
Ithaca
* Middleton-Fulton (Fowler )
Saranac
No. 211-4 Bellevue
Bellevue
Martin
Olivet
Springport
No. 212-4 Leslie
#4 Dansville
Leslie
Morrice
Webberville Community
No. 213-4 Kent City
Grandville-Calvin Christian
Kent City
Muskegon Catholic Central
Wyoming Lee
No. 214-4 Gobles
Bangor
Bloomingdale
Fennville
Gobles
No. 215-4 Covert
Covert
Hartford
Lawrence
Watervliet
No. 216-4 Eau Claire
* Benton Harbor-Countryside Academy (St Joseph-Lake
Michigan Catholic )
Bridgman
Eau Claire
Three Oaks-River Valley
No. 217-4 Cassopolis-Ross Beatty
Cassopolis-Ross Beatty
Constantine
Niles-Brandywine
White Pigeon
No. 218-4 Decatur
Decatur
Lawton
Marcellus
Schoolcraft
No. 219-4 Galesburg-Augusta
Centreville
Climax-Scotts
Galesburg-Augusta
Mendon
No. 220-4 Union City
Athens
#9 Bronson
Colon
Union City
No. 221-4 Homer
Concord
Homer
Jackson- Vandercook Lake
No. 222-4 Michigan Center
#5 Addison
Grass Lake
Michigan Center
No. 223-4 Morenci Area
Adrian-Madison
#2 Hudson Area
Morenci Area
Sand Creek
No. 224-4 Jonesville
Jonesville
Pittsford (North Adams Jerome)
Reading
Quincy
No. 225-4 Blissfield
Blissfield
#6 Clinton
#3 Manchester
Saline-Washtenaw Christian Academy
No. 226-4 Riverview-Gabriel Richard
Allen Park-Inter-City Baptist
Monroe-St Mary Catholic Central
Riverview-Gabriel Richard
Romulus-Summit Academy North
No. 227-4 Lutheran HS Westland
Detroit-Cesar Chavez Academy
Harper Woods
Lutheran HS Westland
Madison Heights-Bishop Foley
No. 228-4 New Haven
Memphis
New Haven
Rochester Hills-Lutheran Northwest
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